Does Cannabis Mean No More Dreams?

Have you ever noticed that
once you start consuming cannabis, your dreams change? And when you
take a little break from the herb, your dreams change again.
Unfortunately, cannabis really influences our dreams and makes them
less vivid.

The fact may be good news
for people who suffer from sleep disorders and want to sleep soundly
till the very morning. Besides, there are cases when cannabis
consumption does not influence consumer's dreams at all. So, what is
the truth and how do scientists explain this connection between our
sleep cycles and cannabis? To explore all the unique ways marijuana
can influence our sleep, let us start with the basic question: “Why
do we dream at all?”

Dreams can occur only
during a specific cycle of sleep known as REM (rapid eye movement)
sleep. REM comes after about 90 minutes of sleep; during this phase,
our eyes move from side to side. It is believed that the dream
imagery is caused by the neural activity in the brain. However,
scientists are still trying to determine the exact reason responsible
for our “internal movies.” There are many theories that can
explain dreaming. Some of them include memory retention,
problem-solving, and emotional processing. Some scientists even
suggest that the dreams we have are meaningless. In general, we spend
dreaming about 20 percent of our sleep.

Studying the Question

A
2008 study conducted at the Freiburg Univesity
Medical Center shows that the consumption of some illicit
recreational drugs reduces REM sleep. Besides, the clinical review
also shows that strange vivid dreams are one of the most frequent
symptoms of marijuana withdrawal. That is why REM rebound can be
observed while a person takes a hiatus from cannabis consumption.

In 2004, Dr. Anthony
Nicholson's study
on the effects of cannabinoids on nocturnal sleep in young adults
showed the decrease of REM duration as the result of infusion of 15mg
of THC.

Although it may seem that
the decrease of REM sleep that is responsible for restoration and
memory retention is a negative effect of cannabis, it may be, in
fact, very beneficial for some people. The lack of dreams also means
no nightmares anymore.

Can Marijuana Scare Away Nightmare Monsters?

Have you ever experienced horrible nightmares that you would rather have never seen? Or are your dreams so bright and vivid that you go to bed expecting a new adventure in the dream world?

Nightmares are not just
unpleasant images we see while sleeping. They are a symptom of some
diseases like PTSD or other anxiety disorders. These patients already
have restful sleep and the scary dreams only interrupt the bits of
sleep a person has and makes the nighttime even worse for the
patients.

Is REM Suppression Dangerous?

Many scientists would
insist that REM sleep is very important for information processing
and emotions, there is little evidence that the lack of this sleep
cycle influences our waking behavior. People with reduced REM report
little to no changes in their everyday routine. Unlike REM, other
sleep cycles are of great importance to our health and the
disturbance of any of them will have more dangerous consequence than
the lack of REM.

However, our cognition may
be influenced a little. A
2014 research on sleep and cognition established a connection
between information retention and REM sleep. Unfortunately, we still
do not know whether the resulting cognitive impairments have
long-term implications or not.

When you are considering
marijuana treatment, be mindful of the effects it may have on your
health and consult your doctor.

Marijuana Research Studies: How Cannabis Affects Sleep

Medical marijuana studies and reports show that using marijuana can affect our sleep. While many weed devotees know that cannabis can make us sleepy and help get rid of insomnia, that is not the only thing we should know about smoking marijuana.

Cannabidiol has many properties that can protect our bodies. Sleep is one of the processes that is affected by the substance. Some people feel drowsy after its consumption, others become alert. So how exactly does CBD influence our sleep?